Beyond the Bar Podcast

Nobody plans for the thing that changes everything. Jerry Scharoff of The Law Office of Jerome A. Scharoff, P.C. didn't set out to be a divorce lawyer. A single case landed on his desk, he wrote one memo on a weekend, and 30 years later, here he is. That's how careers actually happen. Not in a straight line, but in moments you don't recognize as turning points until you look back. Jerr...

Sean Stone grew up on some of the most iconic film sets in Hollywood. Wall Street. The Doors. Born on the Fourth of July. His father is Oliver Stone. And somehow none of that is the most interesting thing about him. Sean talks about traveling the world from the age of five, spending a semester shadowing his father on the set of Alexander instead of going to class, and what happened when he broke i...

Joseph H. Nivin built his matrimonial law firm from the ground up in Forest Hills, New York. But what he brings to the work goes well beyond the courtroom. As someone who has been through divorce himself, he understands on a personal level exactly how much is at stake for the people sitting across from him. In this episode, Denisa Tova gets the story behind the title: the short-story-writing kid w...

Most people know Carson Kressley from Queer Eye or RuPaul's Drag Race. But the kid who grew up on a pony farm in Pennsylvania with 200 Shetland ponies and taught himself to survive junior high with humor because it was the only weapon he had — that is the version worth knowing. In this episode Carson opens up about realizing he was fabulous in the fourth grade, what it felt like to carry the s...

Dawn Cardi didn't come from comfort, and she didn't wait around for permission. The founding partner of Cardi & Edgar LLP has spent decades in matrimonial law, family law, and federal criminal defense, work she calls "people law" because it means helping people when they need it most. In this episode of Beyond the Bar Podcast, host Denisa Tova sits down with Dawn to trace a s...

He was a special education teacher in North Carolina. Then a parent of one of his students dared him to audition for American Idol. He got cut in Charlotte. So he drove to Atlanta and tried again. Forty million people watched what happened next. In this episode Clay opens up about not knowing it was a big show until thousands of people showed up screaming in Raleigh, what ten years traveling to wa...

She built a 35 person law firm from the ground up in Denver, Colorado. She did it while raising three kids in diapers. She did it without a roadmap. And she did it because she wanted to create something that did not exist when she needed it most. April Jones is one of the most influential women in Colorado law and the founding partner of one of Denver's most respected family law firms. But bef...

Lou Diamond Phillips has been one of Hollywood's most resilient and versatile actors for over 40 years and in this episode, he holds nothing back. From crashing Robert De Niro's hotel room in a stolen bellboy uniform at the Deauville Film Festival, to becoming a co-owner of the Tribeca Grill, to navigating what it means to stay relevant in an industry obsessed with the flavor of the month...

Ice-T and Coco Austin return to Beyond the Bar Podcast with host Denise Tova for an unfiltered conversation on marriage, money, parenting, and life behind the headlines. Ice-T (Law & Order: SVU, Body Count) and Coco are back — and this conversation goes places the first one didn't. From road rage and their three English Bulldogs to the origin of Body Count and the Cop Killer controversy, f...

Three divorce attorneys. One firm. Twenty-five-plus years together. And not a single slammed door. Joseph Demarco, Jennifer Rosenkranz and Lisa Schoenfeld are the founding partners of Calcados Rosenkranz DeMarco and Schoenfeld, one of Long Island's most respected matrimonial and family law firms. They didn't just build careers. They built something together. And in a field where most peopl...

Most people think they know Chris Noth. Detective Mike Logan. Mr. Big. Peter Florrick. Three of the most iconic characters in television history — all played by one man who has spent decades deliberately staying out of the machine that made him famous. In this episode Denisa sits down with Chris for one of the most honest and unexpected conversations Beyond the Bar has ever had. Chris opens up abo...

Michael Nouri has spent 54 years in Hollywood. You know him from Flashdance, Yellowstone, and right now from The Pit. At 80 years old he is more honest about his life, his wounds, and his work than most people half his age. Michael opens up about growing up as the peacemaker in a combative household, being bullied as a kid and the day he finally fought back, spending decades seeking his father&#39...

Most people walk into a divorce expecting a battle. Family law attorney and divorce mediator Jacqueline Caputo has spent over two decades proving it doesn't have to be one. Jackie is a Partner at Joseph Law Group where she leads the mediation and collaborative divorce practice on Long Island, New York. She never planned on family law — never even took it as a course in law school. But the mome...

What happens when you meet the person you're going to marry — and it still takes 45 years to get it right? In this episode, Denisa sits down with power couple Lisa and Lloyd Zeiderman for a candid, unfiltered conversation about love, ambition, and what it really takes to build a life (and a business) with someone. Lisa Zeiderman is a managing partner of Miller Zeiderman LLP, a top matrimonial...

Most people spend their whole lives performing a version of themselves they think the world wants to see. Ice-T and Coco Austin never did that. And it changed everything. He told the truth about what he knew and built a career that has outlasted almost everyone from his era. She stepped out of the lane when the industry told her not to and paid a real price for it — until the world finally caught...

What happens when the little girl who felt voiceless in the middle of her parents' divorce grows up to spend 20 years fighting for children who have no one else in their corner? For Liza Camellerie, that's not a hypothetical. That's her life. Liza is a family law attorney and one of New York's leading practitioners in child abuse and neglect matters. She started her career at 24 ye...

Nearly 40 years ago, Mitchell Y. Cohen walked into a matrimonial law firm fresh out of Emory Law School and met his work partner, Marty Johnson. They haven't had a fight since. That partnership — built on trust, respect, and zero yelling — says everything about how Mitch approaches the law, and life. Mitch is a Partner at Johnson & Cohen, LLP, a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonia...

What does it take to walk away from a six-figure big law salary — with two young kids at home — to start over in a completely different practice? Morghan Richardson did exactly that, and it changed everything. Morghan is a Partner and Co-Chair of the Matrimonial & Family Law practice at Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP, where she represents high-net-worth individuals, public figures, and innova...

What happens when a 14-year-old girl watches the justice system almost fail someone she loves? For Debra Whitson, it lit a fire that never went out. Denisa Tova sits down with Debra Whitson, founder of Whitson Law PLLC and visionary behind Mediated Online Solutions. From prosecuting special-victims cases to building a no-drama divorce practice that actually helps families heal, Debra has spent her...

She argues high-conflict cases for a living… and still refuses to lose her humanity. 💥In this episode of Beyond the Bar Podcast, Denisa sits down with Lauren Crane – founding partner at Bender & Crane LLP, seasoned family-law litigator, appointed mediator, sports superfan, mom… and breast cancer survivor. Lauren opens up about:🏈 Growing up in a sports-obsessed family and why she believes spo...

You think you know Sonja Morgan, but you really don’t. This is the version of the RHONY icon that never made it to Bravo. People know the memes, the townhouse, the fashion, the chaos, and the one-liners, but this conversation is the first time Sonja opens up about the real story behind the persona. The fashion designer, the entrepreneur, the philanthropist, the mother, and the woman who married in...

What if the thing everyone told you to “toughen up” about is exactly what makes you brilliant at your work? In this episode of Beyond the Bar Podcast, Denisa sits down with Carmen Rodriguez, a Cuban-American mediator and collaborative attorney who was once told she was “too sensitive” for the legal profession. Carmen didn’t change who she was. She changed where she used her gifts. Carmen shares ho...

When emotions run high and the stakes could not be higher, calm is not weakness. It is mastery. In this episode, NYC powerhouse Danielle R. Petitti, founding attorney of Petitti PLLC, sits down with Denisa Tova for a raw and honest conversation about what it really takes to navigate divorce litigation without losing control or yourself. Danielle has built her reputation on grit, emotional intellig...

When litigator Deepti Shenoy faced her own divorce with a five-month-old baby, everything changed. What began as heartbreak became her purpose — reshaping her legal career and inspiring her to create Split Second, a New York City community helping single moms navigate separation and custody. In this episode of Beyond the Bar Podcast, host Denisa Tova dives into Deepti’s story — how she went from c...

Divorce doesn’t have to be a five-year war. Family law partner Alan “Al” Feigenbaum (Blank Rome) explains why protecting emotional capital—your time, headspace, and peace—often beats “winning” one more term on paper. We talk about leaving commercial litigation to work with people, the post-pandemic return of courtroom theatrics, how to set boundaries so your phone doesn’t run your life, and why st...